Firefighters had to work 13-hour shifts and were forced to urinate in buckets as they fought against a devastating fire at the Royal Albion hotel, according to the Fire Brigades Union.

The union said firefighters had to work in “extreme and unsafe conditions” last Saturday as the hotel went up in flames and smoke covered the city.

It said East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service has lost 140 frontline firefighters and control room staff due to government cuts since 2010, leaving the service dangerously stretched.

The Argus: One of the firefighters at the scene last Sunday which was the second day of the fireOne of the firefighters at the scene last Sunday which was the second day of the fire (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)

Conditions reported by frontline firefighters to the union include 13-hour shifts, female firefighters having to urinate in buckets due to a lack of basic welfare facilities and no facilities for decontamination to protect against the risk of cancer.

London Fire Brigade even had to attend a fire in Brighton for the first time since the Blitz in the Second World War, 83 years ago.

It comes as crews had to return to the hotel to put out a fire which appeared from a newer part of the building next to its west wing.

Joe Weir, Fire Brigades Union executive council representative for the South East, said: “Firefighters worked under exhausting, appalling and unsafe conditions on the night of the initial fire, doing everything they could despite being stretched to near breaking point.

“Had there been another incident of a similar size, there would not have been enough firefighters available to put it out and the fire service would have been unable to cope. We simply do not have enough resources. That is the terrifying truth.

The Argus: Smoke billows across the city from the burning hotelSmoke billows across the city from the burning hotel (Image: Andy Gardner)

“Our service had to request fire engines from neighbouring regions, who were unable to provide the number needed because of cuts to their services. This is no way to run a service that saves lives and homes. We need urgent investment now.”

Government statistics from October last year show that firefighter numbers within the country’s fire services decreased by 21 per cent from 39,544 to 31,064 as of March 2022.

Matt Wrack, Fire Brigades Union general secretary, said: “We are witnessing the disastrous impact of over a decade of cuts to our fire service. Since 2010, one in five firefighter jobs have been lost across the UK.

"An unprecedented number of appliances have been lost and fire stations closed. These cuts have left the fire service unprepared and are putting lives and homes at risk.

“Ministers and chief fire officers talk about resilience, but you cannot have adequate resilience without having enough firefighters on the frontline - and that means proper funding and investment.”

A Home Office spokeswoman said: “The government is committed to ensuring fire services have the resources they need to keep the public and firefighters safe.

“Fire and rescue authorities will receive around £2.6 billion in 2023/24, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Authority has a core spending power of £44.4m, an increase of £2.9m compared to 2022/23."